Shattered Ankle/Shattered Dreams

Blue seems to be the most appropriate color of ink to match my mood at 0100 CST living within 2 miles of the Phoenix International Raceway home of this week-ends NASCAR race and knowing I may just not make it!

You see, while my husband was settling in on a new job in another state Monday morning, I was proudly manuvering our RV into place for the wonderfully planned long week at the races. Everything was going perfect...I had dropped my oldest granddaughter off at the bus, picked up friends to help me move my RV & van and was doing a great job for never having driven something so large.

Well, as fate would have it for some reason, the people at PIR decided they wanted to make more room for more RV's and grated the area where we park, so now instead of solid pack dirt, we had loose sand and it was that sand that caused my week of horrors!

I parked the motor home, set up the awning, put out the chairs and stepped out the door. When I did, my left food gave a bit and as any person would do, I tried to catch myself and over correct myself with my right foot. It was like watching something in slow motion. My ankle bone protruded out the right side of my ankle, then back over to the left and finally settled in a weird angle on the left side.

Lets put it this way...my leg was facing north/south when I landed, however my foot was facing east/west with this huge bulge on it and all I could say was 'oh sh**, someone call 911 I just broke my foot.' I laid on the ground with someone holding me up so I wouldn't faint, someone else calling my name and keeping me focused so I wouldn't faint & all the time, all I wanted to do was pass out.

Kudo's to my pal Keith for sitting on the ground for over what had to be 30 minutes and holding my leg up so my ankle wouldn't snap through the skin...the only reason it didn't was due to Keiths determination that it wouldn't and he wasn't going to let the medics cut my sock off.

So, I spend a day and a half in the hospital waiting for my surgery, however the ER doc gave me some Versed and repositioned my ankle so they could splint it straight. I had blood drawn, XRays and an MRI and the MRI showed that I not only fractured my foot in three places, I fractured pieces of bone off of bone, broke it in one place so bad it had to be put back together like a jigsaw puzzle with pins, plate and screws and a bone graft.

The night nurse Andrea was wonderful...I can't say thank you enough to her for her compassion. She ensured each evening my bed had no wrinkles, propped up my leg and foot, brought me a snack and sleeping pill and kept ice on my cast. I rested well!

Dayshift was a crack up, but less compassionate. The 3rd day I was there, Michelle brought me a basin with water, soap, lotion, wash clothes 7 clean gown. While I took care of my personal needs, she made my bed while I sat in a chair. It ended there. I don't know where the communication break down occurred, but I was left sitting up for over 3 hours. While I could used the rest room on my own, I couldn't manuver well enough to get into bed. I called out for 45 minutes for help and was told each time someone was on their way (no one showed), I called the hospital operator and asked for physical therapy and left a nasty message, still no one responded.

Finally, my visiting physician came by and saw me crying and when I told her what had happened, I finally got assisted back to bed and medicated. Let me explain, I have osteo arthritis in my back so sitting for long periods is very painful. I also have a high pain threshold and rarely required medication. Once back in bed, I was medicated regularly the rest of the day for comfort.

That evening the CNA felt it was to hot in my room, so she cranked my heat to 65. It took a friend the next morning calling the nurses station before I got a blanket. And that day, while I moved all around my room and between the bed and chair with a walker, Physical Therapy was no where to help out or show me how to move around. My bed wasn't cleaned, I was left dirty, they refused to bathe me and medication was nil!! I finally used the walker to go to my room door and look down the hall.

There they were, a nurse and 2 physical therapists, sitting and standing around and horsing around until I yelled down the hall for help. What I got was...what is your problem & why are you coming down the hall to find me?? Better me ask why friends had to make my bed, bathe me and remain at the hospital for over 30 minutes to see I got pain medications.

I am home now! Neighbors are lovingly sitting with me and helping me out!